2012 Baseball

Bluffton sweeps day one with Hanover

Bluffton sweeps doubleheader with Hanover College

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University baseball team swept its first doubleheader
of the season as the Beavers racked up 7-1 and 5-4 wins over the Hanover College Panthers
on Friday, May 4. It marked the eighth straight season Bluffton has won its series
with Hanover. With the victories, Bluffton moved to 19-20 overall (12-12 HCAC), tying the
record for wins in a single season and eclipsing the previous mark of 11 HCAC wins. The
Beavers look to break the record tomorrow when they wrap up the season on Senior Day. Hanover
fell to 21-17 (11-12 HCAC).

Starting pitcher Kelly Barnes (Toledo/Toledo Christian) and the Beaver bats combined for a great performance in
the first game on the day. The offense opened on the right foot when it opened up
the bottom of the first with three runs. The scoring came from a plethora of extra
bases knocks by bats at the top of the order. Kyle Niermann (Napoleon) led off with a double and came home on a single by Miles Richardson (Granville/Newark Catholic). Tyler Stephenson (Springfield/Northwest) went deep with a double of his own before a three-bagger
from Nick Broyles (Toledo/Whitmer) plated both runners for the early 3-0 advantage.

Bluffton did not slow down as the home team added three more in the third to go up
6-0. Stephenson started it off with an RBI double which scored Richardson. After a
pair of walks loaded the bases, senior Greg Bergstedt (Napoleon/Patrick Henry) came through with a two-run single, giving the Beavers a
commanding lead.

Bluffton tacked on another run in the fourth and that was more than enough for Barnes
as he dominated on the day. He pitched 4.2 innings before giving up his first hit
and cruised through the seven innings for the complete game. On the way to his fourth
win of the season (4-3), he gave up only one run on five hits while punching out nine
batters.

In the second contest of the day, the Beavers stayed hot with a three spot in bottom
of the first just as they had in the first game. Niermann led off with a single and
Stephenson moved him to second with one of his own. Broyles worked a walk to load
the bases and Tim Webb (Delaware/Worthington Christian) stepped up and drilled the third single of the inning
to plate a pair. Greg Franks (Smithville) scored Broyles on a fielder's choice that gave Bluffton the 3-0 lead.

The Panthers, however, slowly chipped away at the Beaver lead. They answered by scoring
in the next three innings. A run apiece in the second and third innings followed up
with a pair in the top of the fourth gave Hanover their first lead against Bluffton.
Halen Core (Reynoldsburg) came in and got the team out of trouble by getting the first batter
he faced to ground into an inning-ending double play.

That was all the team needed as the offense responded with two runs in the bottom
of the inning to take back the lead, 5-4. Once again, the scoring charge was headed
by the top of the order. Niermann doubled to start and moved to third on a bunt single
by Richardson. Stephenson hit a sac fly to bring home Niermann and was followed by
an RBI single from Broyles for the lead.

After that, it was all pitching from both teams as no runs were scored in the next
five innings. Stephenson came on in the top of the ninth to save it for the Beavers. The
bullpen of Core, David Ianiro (Highland Heights/Mayfield) and Stephenson combined to pitch 5.2 innings, surrendering
only three hits and three walks while fanning four. Core moved to a perfect 6-0 on
the year while Stephenson grabbed his second save.

On the day, Niermann paced the way for the offense by going 5-for-9 with five runs.
Stephenson also had a solid day at the dish as he finished 3-for-6 with two RBI and
three runs.

The Beavers return to Memorial Field on Saturday, May 5, for a nine-inning affair
with Hanover to close out the season. The game is slated for 12 PM.